I don’t usually write on SEO, mostly because I don’t do it very well (I just set up mod_rewrite a few hours ago). However, since I’m trying to improve I decided to compile a How To guide to SEO. That way, the next time you are trying to decide how to make the next killer Web 2.0 blog that will whip the socks off of TechCrunch or ReadWriteWeb you will have something to bolster your false hopes.

Study your competition

Find the keywords that you are trying to SEO, and see who currently holds the top positions. For example, if you do a Google search for Web 2.0 Blogs the first two sites you run across are: Dion Hinchcliffe’s Web 2.0 Blog and TechCrunch. Study what they are doing, and try to emulate (not copy) their approach. Usually this approach involves writing a lot of quality content.

Quality Posts and Feature Content

If you want to run a successful blog, you need to write. When I say write, I mean you need to write like you were being paid to do it. Google indexes you more frequently if you update more frequently, and when it comes to driving traffic, Google is top dog.

While you are writing content, try your best to write original, compelling content. Lots of things filter down through the grapevine and are worthy of being reported, but to really draw a crowd you need to come up with the feature pieces that will make your site unique.

Plugins for a penny

If you are using the major blog engines, there are quite a few plugins to help you SEO your new Web 2.0 miracle blog. Whether it is generating sitemaps, or altering meta-data there is probably a plugin for it. Since that is an article in and of itself, you might be better off checking out some of my favorite resources.

Be link wise

SEO is not just getting links, anyone with a few hundred dollars and a shaky moral compass can do that. Solid, functional SEO is generating quality, relevant links from reputable sites. Most search engines view a relevant site as one that has a better PR than you do. Either way, search the web for sites that have similar content to your own and talk to the authors to see if you can make a deal. Lots of bloggers are more than happy to trade links to other relevant sites.

Also, if you followed step two, some of your content might be so good that it drives other bloggers to link to you proactively.

Get with the tech

Use mod-rewrite, add keywords to your titles, sprinkle keywords into your text where relevant and make sure your metatags are at least reasonable. This portion gets into the classical SEO techniques that you can find anywhere else on the web, so I’ll leave it to 15 Minute SEO to get you on the right track.

Get on the inside

Breaking stories is a whole lot better than rehashing old copy. If you are writing about a niche subject, go to conferences, meet people in the industry, be ahead of the curve. If you can break a story before the next guy you are going to generate scads of links. If you can break it before the largest of the large blogs, you might be able to generate the type of links that will substantially improve your traffic.

These tips won’t make you the best blog on the block, but it will put you on the right track. The only way to drive traffic and to improve your search engine rank is to constantly improve your content. Content is king in the Web 2.0 world, and like the print world before it, there is just no substitute for good copy.

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